South County water bills to rise in 2012

• A new supply contract with the City of Toledo will see the average annual water bill total nearly $360 a year.

By Charles Slat

ctslat@monroenews.com

Typical residential water users in southern Monroe County will see their bills rise by about $55.60 a year starting Jan. 1 under a new supply contract with the City of Toledo.

The 18.3 percent increase is a bit higher than first estimated, although officials said the true cost is being reduced partially by the subsidy from the South County Water System.

It means an average customer using about 17,000 gallons every three months will see the total cost of water rise to $359.76 a year, up from the current $304.16 a year. The South County system serves nearly 12,000 customers, mostly in Bedford Township, but also in Erie and LaSalle townships and the City of Luna Pier.

The new rates will bring south county customers' costs closer to those in other communities the Toledo water system supplies, according to Daniel W. Stefanski, Monroe County drain commissioner, who serves as administrator of the South County system.

He said the board is distributing water conservation kits at no cost to system customers at township or city halls in communities the South County Water System serves. Those kits include spigot inserts, water-conserving toilet bladders and flow restrictors for showerheads to reduce water usage and minimize waste. The kits are easy to install. "They're really good things for everyone to have," Mr. Stefanski said.

Mr. Stefanski explained that over the last few years, Toledo has boosted water rates to all the municipalities it supplies. The increases to the South County water system has totaled about $1 million a year for this year and will continue in 2012 and 2013. But the board agreed last week to absorb the 2011 increase and also cut the capital charge from $23 a quarter to $16.50 a quarter to cushion the impact of the rate rise. The capital charge typically covers operation and administrative costs of the system.

"The board did absorb a large portion of the cost," Mr. Stefanski said.

"We've had a three-tier billing system for a long time," Mr. Stefanski explained. "The more water you used, the less you paid (a gallon). We're going to a system now where if you use a gallon, you pay for a gallon. It's called parity." The board established the new water rate at $4.32 per 1,000 gallons. He said there could be a smaller increase in 2013 especially if the water board reduces its capital charge again, but that has not been decided yet.

The South County system earlier this year served about 11,726 customers, including 8,288 in Bedford Township, 1,588 in LaSalle Township, 1,146 in Erie Township and 704 in Luna Pier.

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